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Yeah, there would be a run on honors and AP courses, or at more affluent or parents/community-supported schools. The toughest job is a new teacher's classes, or any teacher in an environment without an emphasis on learning (notice I didn't put "testing" or "results" ). If you get a kid to love learning, or an 8th grader to improve from a 4th grade level to a 6th grade level, or make a 90-point testing jump (but the overall scores's not yet at "proficient" ), that's pretty darn effective. If merit just means "reach a standard level," I'm not in favor of that.

(notice I didn't put "testing" or "results" ). If you get a kid to love learning, or an 8th grader to improve from a 4th grade level to a 6th grade level, or make a 90-point testing jump

Um, how do you determine if a student is at a 4th grade reading level, or that they have achieved a 6th grade reading level, or the 90 point jump, don't those involve testing?

I get what you are saying about meeting some arbitrary minimum standard, especially when you consider that a teacher may well be working to repair horrible damage done to some students as a result of poor previous teachers.

However, you bash testing then use test standards (4th grade reading level to 6th grade reading level, 90 point jump) to show how "pretty darn effective" a teacher can be.

The message is a bit confusing. I'm not trying to be difficult, there just seems to be a disconnect there.

Are you saying you would support testing so long as the merit is determined by improvements in test score (reading grade levels, 90 point jump, etc.) and not some arbitrary "proficient" standard?

The message is a bit confusing. I'm not trying to be difficult, there just seems to be a disconnect there.

Are you saying you would support testing so long as the merit is determined by improvements in test score (reading grade levels, 90 point jump, etc.) and not some arbitrary "proficient" standard?

Actually, it was to BE confusing, to show how difficult it would be to have a system, if it's different than what people already know and expect. It will never happen, but I'd support a sort of "apprentice" system where the individual needs of the student are met by tailoring the learning to their unique abilities. : pollyanna: That's ideal, but impossible with so many kids. So you get as close as you can.

To be truly honest, it was just frustration being typed out. I don't know...

Offical end to the school year today, as my room was cleaned and packed up, keys returned, gradebook submitted, last "have a great summer" wishes given. This was a weird year; I'm not glad to see it end, but neither am I remembering much from it, either positive or negative.

Interesting, you end early down there. Our schools go into June a week or two, perhaps more if there are snow days to make up. I recall when I was in 1st and 2nd grade, we started a bit earlier and got out at the beginning of June. My family took a trip to California back then and my mom was saying that places like Disneyland weren't as crowded because most other schools weren't out yet. We did have to wait a long time to get into Space Mountain, but it was a new ride at the time (Wikipedia says it opened May 27, 1977, so it was less than two weeks after that when we were there.

Yeah, the bad thing about starting the first or second week of August (this coming year it'll be on 8/9 ?!? ) is the heat to begin the year. But the nice thing is getting out BEFORE Memorial day weekend. I don't know how the threat of up to 20 less school days will affect start and end dates, but I'd sure take an extra week to this summer and start the year a week later. Southern California has no knowledge of these "snow days" of which you spoke.

BTW, I do know that Space Mountain opened in '77, but I couldn't tell you the exact date.

My house looks like it has exploded. Mrs. TI7 is taking inventory of her various supplies and other teaching materials for next year already. Boxes, containers, and stacks of stuff everywhere! I guess that's the difference between a primary and secondary teacher. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think too many high school teachers have to take stock of their pipe cleaners, yarn, construction paper, glue, markers, popsicle sticks, beads, etc.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think too many high school teachers have to take stock of their pipe cleaners, yarn, construction paper, glue, markers, popsicle sticks, beads, etc.

True I don't take inventory of said items, but they remain in my classroom behind the white board and once we get close to the next school year, I buy various items I think I'll need/want when the back-to-school sales come around (for me: washable markers, color pencils, packs of loose college rule lined paper, small handheld pencil sharpeners, #10 size envelopes). I know I need a new lesson plan book this year (they have enough pages for two total years).

My house looks like it has exploded. Mrs. TI7 is taking inventory of her various supplies and other teaching materials for next year already. Boxes, containers, and stacks of stuff everywhere! I guess that's the difference between a primary and secondary teacher. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think too many high school teachers have to take stock of their pipe cleaners, yarn, construction paper, glue, markers, popsicle sticks, beads, etc.

Funny that you mentioned that, because in our district, in a cost-cutting move, all 5th grade teachers (of which I am) were moved to one of our 2 middle schools, and that middle school was "repurposed" as an intermediate school with all district 5th and 6th grades being housed there.

A fellow movee from my elementary school told me to stock up on those items from our supply room, or more likely, from our own inventory, since the supply room at the new school is non-existent of those items (since when did middle school teachers need construction paper, tissue paper, etc. the items that TeeEye mentioned). It will be a real eye opener for us, but more so for the 6th grade teachers who have to teach all subjects now as opposed to the 2 or 3 they were used to teaching.

"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is. But this I am sure of - do their duty the Jedi will." --Yoda from Attack of the Clones.